Commonwealth of Independent States News & Analysis

Commonwealth of Independent States

Including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and an associate in Turkmenistan, the CIS is a Eurasian trade bloc that achieved about US$125 billion in multilateral trade in 2025, with an average GDP growth rate of approximately 4.7%. Key developments include new trade platforms (CIS Plus), focus on infrastructure like the CKU railway, and expansion of free trade agreements, especially for services, enhancing regional economic integration within Eurasia and beyond. Understand the CIS market for business. Get analysis on trade regulations, economic integration, and cross-border investment opportunities within this key post-Soviet economic zone.

Featured February 9, 2025

A Sweet Tooth For Russian Sweets: Russian Confectionary Exports Up 8% In 2024

Russia exported 700,000 tonnes of confectionery products in 2024, up 8% year-on-year, while the value of these exports grew 10.3% to reach US$1.81 billion, according to the Russian Association of Confectionery Industry Enterprises. They were presenting at the “Confectionery Products of the 21st Century” conference in Moscow last week. The 2025 export forecast for Russian […]

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Featured February 5, 2025

Russia Imports More Butter From Azerbaijan, Uruguay and Argentina

Russia’s supply chains are showing signs of adapting far more quickly than in the past, with one example being butter imports from Azerbaijan, Uruguay and Argentina this year, which have all increased, according to Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor). Azerbaijan delivered 940 tonnes of butter, four times the amount it did […]

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February 5, 2025

Russia – Kyrgyzstan 2025 Trade & Investment Hits Turbulence 

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and his Kyrgyz counterpart Adylbek Kasymaliyev held discussions on Monday (February 3) after meeting on the sidelines of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council’s session in Almaty. Mishustin and Kasymaliyev “discussed current issues on the bilateral agenda as a follow-up to the agreements on enhancing Russian-Kyrgyz trade and economic cooperation reached at […]

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January 31, 2025

Russia-Kazakhstan 2025 Trade, Energy and Investment Updates 

The Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has been on a three-day trip to Kazakhstan, highlighting the work of the intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation between the two countries. He said that bilateral trade turnover between Russia and Kazakhstan exceeded US$26.34 billion in 2024, adding that “Russia occupies a leading position among Kazakhstan’s foreign trade partners. […]

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January 30, 2025

Russia’s VTB Bank To Expand International Financial Transfer Services Into Africa, LatAm and Asia 

Russia’s VTB bank plans to expand its services geography in providing international transfers in national currencies during 2025 by adding new countries in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia, the Russian state bank’s deputy CEO, Georgy Gorshkov has stated. VTB’s retail customers made 2.1 million transfers in the currencies of friendly countries in 2024, six […]

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January 30, 2025

Chinese Automotive Dealers Investing Into Belarus To Access CIS Markets  

In addition to the recent example of China’s Torklink Controls, who are investing over ₽100 million (US$1 million) into an assembly plant in Moscow, the Chinese automobile exporter Biulu (Chongqing Biulu Automotive Technology) has opened a consignment warehouse in Belarus for processing Chinese, European and other vehicles for subsequent deliveries to Russia and CIS countries. […]

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January 23, 2025

Russia Kyrgyzstan 2024 Trade Up 16.6%

The Kyrgyzstan Foreign Minister, Jeenbek Kulubayev, has been in Moscow holding talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, to discuss bilateral trade. Kulubayev, quoting Kyrgyz statistical data, aid that Kyrgyz-Russian trade grew 16.6% to US$3.2 billion in 2024, stating that “The indicators can be increased further. Our ministries and agencies should start active work in […]

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January 23, 2025

Russia – Azerbaijan Bilateral Trade Up 10.1% In 2024

Trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Russia rose 10.1% year-on-year to nearly US$4.8 billion in 2024, Azerbaijan’s State Customs Committee (SCC) has stated. This places Russia third among Azerbaijan’s foreign trade partners after Italy and Turkey. The volume of Azerbaijan’s exports to Russia decreased 1.5% year-on-year to US$1.178 billion. Exports to Russia accounted for 4.4% of […]

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January 16, 2025

Russian Foreign Minister Q&A On Russia’s Foreign Policy 2025: Analysis

The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, gave an extensive media interview and Q&A session on Tuesday (January 14), at which many questions were asked. The full transcript, including comments about the United States, Ukraine, sanctions and so on, can be read here. In this article, we highlight the comments he made pertinent to our specific […]

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January 13, 2025

Russia’s Aqua Holding Exports 35% More Water In 2024  

Aqua Holding, the producer of the Narzan, Essentuki No. 4 and Essentuki No. 17 brand mineral waters, increased exports of its products 35% year-on-year in 2024, and shipping more than 750 million litres to 19 countries. While water is not generally considered a particularly interesting commodity, Russia possesses the world’s second largest fresh water reserves […]

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